1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sugar mills, and more specifically to a portable sugar mill for in-field processing of cane juice to brown sugar and molasses.
2. Description of the Related Art
Sugar is one of the most basic ingredients present in the kitchens of most homes. It imparts the sweet flavor that many enjoy from drinks, candy, and desserts to savory dishes. One of the most common types of sugars consumed by the general public is sucrose, derived from sugar cane.
One of the biggest concerns with the above is the potential loss of raw material for juice extraction, i.e., not the sugar cane itself but the contents therein. Sugar cane, once cut, must be expeditiously transported to the processing plant because the cut cane begins to lose its sugar content. This issue is exasperated by the damage inflicted on the cane during mechanical harvesting since it accelerates the decay. Although my cane juice extractor, described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,918,160, issued Apr. 5, 2011, is capable of pressing juice from the cane stalks, the issue still remains that the cane juice must be transported to a sugar processing plant, which consumes time, energy, and resources from various entities.
The cane grower and harvest must exhaust time and resources in harvesting, and juicing the cane stalks, yet he must then contain the extracted juice and transport the juice to a processing plant or mill. Governmental entities must burden resources for road maintenance and services to the transportation vehicles, as well as establishing transportation laws and guidelines that allow the safe transport of the juice, as well as providing safety for everyone using the transportation system infrastructures. The plant or mill must utilize resources for maintaining and operating facilities, as well as provide processing services for the juice providers.
Thus, a portable sugar mill solving the aforementioned problems is desired.